Tag Archives: Inverell

Summary: Inverell is a lovely country town in North-western NSW. There is a nice pedestrian pathway along the riverfront which can be combined with town heritage walks. In addition, there are State conservation areas and bushland reserves nearby which offer more rugged bushwalks, one of which is described below.

For the town walk, it is easy to find parking by the Inverell Visitors centre. The pedestrian walk and river is right next to the centre and you can go in either direction and loop back through town or by crossing one of the bridges. The river is apparently home to platypus although they are of course notoriously difficult to spot being nocturnal and shy. The Visitors centre also have maps for both town walks and for bushwalks in the surrounding area.

The Goonoowigall bushland reserve is located only 5 km from Inverell town centre to the south on Tingha road. There is a parking area with picnic tables and maps of the area.

It is fairly hilly country with large granite boulders and ironbark and gum trees. There is abundant wildlife with over 100 species of birds, wallabies and numerous species of reptiles. A large lizard was spotted as well as numerous birds.

The signs from the parking lot relate to the short (2km) Nhunta Karra Kara track but as you start walking to your left you will find the track called Thunderbolt track (4km) – it is worth having a map from the Inverell Vistors centre so you don’t get lost! This track winds its way through the forest and then starts climbing quite steeply up to a look-out with good views back to Inverell.

As you continue along the top there is a link-track to the Middle Creek walk in the valley below. 150 years ago this valley was mined by Chinese miners and remains of the settlements and mining activity can be seen on this walk. I stayed on the Thunderbolt track but did the short detour to Thunderbolts look-out (200m each way). This takes you to some spectacular balancing boulders and nice views over Middle Creek valley below.

Further down from the hills there is another link-track to the Middle Creek walk and I did go down here to reach “the Slot” (600m each way). The Slot is an area of wide rock slabs that once were the base for a dam. Water flowing here once operated a water –wheel that was used for the mining works and you can see some large iron spikes that held the water-wheel.

Back up on the Thunderbolt track it is a fairly flat walk through the bushland back to the parking area.